“Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, Mr. Liquid Crystal is a consistently compelling read from beginning to end and is unreservedly and enthusiastically recommended for community, college, and university library collections. For the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject scientific discovery, crystallography, contemporary patents and inventions.” —Midwest Book Review

The untold story of how James L. Fergason invented the liquid crystal display & helped create the digital world.

Mr. Liquid Crystal

The Inspirational Story of One of America’s Greatest Scientists and Inventors

James L. Fergason changed your life, though you probably did not know it. He invented the twisted nematic liquid crystal display (TN-LCD), ubiquitously used today in the screens of smart phones, calculators, iPods, flat-screen TVs, digital watches, laptop and tablet computers, medical equipment, and many other devices. Jim was one of the America’s most prolific inventors, holding more than 150 U.S. patents and over 500 foreign patents. The examiners at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reverentially called him Mr. Liquid Crystal.

This book recounts the amazing story of Jim’s discovery of liquid crystals and invention of LCDs, a scientific journey that began in the late 1950s and lasted decades until his death in 2008. From the day Jim noticed how liquid crystals formed a brightly colored iridescent liquid, he was immediately taken by their possibilities and devoted his entire career to creating practical applications for this new method of optical display. Click to find out more

James L. Fergason and Invention

James L. Fergason was the first to explore the practical applications of liquid crystals. During his career, he was awarded over 150 U.S. patents, and over 500 international patents. His most famous invention is the twisted nematic liquid crystal display (TN-LCD), ubiquitously used today in the screens of smart phones, calculators, iPods, flat-screen TVs, digital watches, laptop and tablet computers, medical equipment and many other devices.

Liquid crystals are amazing compounds. If you press your finger against any LCD panel, you will see a change in color due to a change in the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules that are a component of the display. Electricity changes the orientation of the liquid crystals to conduct light, allowing you to see the image.

For his achievements, Jim was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. He received the highest honor for an inventor, the Lemelson-MIT Prize, the Jun-Ichi Nishizawa Medal . He was an advisor for the U.S. patent office.

This is the untold story of how Jim L. Fergason created interest in liquid crystals and ultimately changed the way we do many things, from telling time, to watching stories, to communicating information to each other. Click to find out more

Exceptionally well written, organized and presented, “Mr. Liquid Crystal” is a consistently compelling read from beginning to end and is unreservedly and enthusiastically recommended for community, college, and university library collections. For the personal reading lists of students and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject scientific discovery, crystallography, contemporary patents and inventions.

Midwest Book Review

“I can still picture Dr. Fergason standing before a packed house of aspiring inventors [at an Independent Inventor Conference] telling his story of hard work and success and the audience reacting as if he were a rock star. In fact, Jim Fergason is much more than that. He is an American hero.”

Nicholas Godici

“Our whole system in this country stems back to invention and we need inventors. “

James L. Fergason

“Turning an invention into business is no slam dunk. A head for business is critical. If you make the best thing on earth, it doesn’t matter how good it is if you only sell one.”

James L. Fergason

“Being an inventor is a simple concept. Being a successful inventor and earning a living is not so simple. It requires motivation, opportunity and luck.”

History Of This Book

This is the story of how an independent inventor persisted against scientific competition, numerous international patent disputes, corporate power and near financial disaster to invent all of the major technology enabling the modern liquid crystal display industry.

This book is based on the original “autobiography” that Jim Fergason was writing before his death in 2008, which was co-authored with his close friend, Arthur Berman. In 2010, Jim’s daughter Terri Fergason Neal decided to complete that manuscript and publish it, largely for the Fergason family but also for the many scientists, inventors, and other interested persons who would enjoy knowing more about the life of a leading American inventor. Terri worked closely with editor Marian Pierce over the next five years to expand the manuscript and finalize it.

Together they interviewed and emailed extensively with Fergason family members, as well as many of Jim’s colleagues, friends, and supporters, especially Tom Harsch who worked closely with Jim for more than 40 years and whose familiarity with the events and history added extensive detail to support the original manuscript. Additional inputs from Dora Fergason, Jim’s wife, and Terri’s siblings (brothers Jeff and John, who were long-time leads in the family ventures, and sister Susan) helped complete the materials.

One of the key elements of this book is to set the story straight about how Jim Fergason was, without any doubt, the true inventor of the TN-LCD. As this book will show, he was the first to utilize and exploit the science of liquid crystals, to manufacture them, and to apply them for inventive, practical purposes. He was credited by the U.S. Patent Office with the first patent on them. He is Mr. Liquid Crystal.